


By the Sea - Snippets

by glimmerglanger



Series: By the Sea [3]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Background Rexsoka in Some Fills, Based on prompts, Character Death from Old Age, F/M, M/M, Reunion Sex, Snippets from "By the Sea"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:08:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29239611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glimmerglanger/pseuds/glimmerglanger
Summary: Prompt fills written for the "By the Sea" series from my tumblr. Probably a good idea to read "Flotsam and Jetsam" and "Currents and Tides" first. Fills have a variety of ratings. Collected here for ease of reading.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: By the Sea [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066826
Comments: 179
Kudos: 401





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This snippet is Va'yen getting to know Obi-Wan. Feat: Obi-Wan having trouble grasping the point of "telling people what you want." No warnings.

Va’yen did not know, yet, what to make of her new son-in-law. Not exactly. He was certainly, as Kote had said, shiningly bright to look at. It was jarring to see a human so close, much less one who spoke Mando’a so well, who had - visible only when the clothing he wore on his upper body shifted - bite scars on his shoulders.

She had not spent much time with him alone. In the first days of her visit, she had not spent much time with him at all. He’d been preoccupied with Kote, which she could not fault. They’d been apart some weeks. She did not begrudge them the reunion.

Even after they sated themselves, Kote tended to stay close. But he had been taken off by Wolv and Eyayah, early in the morning hours, leaving Va’yen to break her fast with this Obi-Wan who had stolen her son’s heart and kept it well.

She found him agreeable, tilting her head to the side as he spoke with one of the cooks that Kote had - finally - brought along with him. They would need to keep a staff - more than guards - close to his heart, now that they’d found a place to settle him closer to Mandalore.

Most of the guards, she’d noticed, were familiar enough with Obi-Wan’s behaviors. They did not complain overmuch when he went where he wanted to go, without telling anyone. They seemed used to it.

The newer members of the staff were obviously  _ not _ . The two members of the cooking staff exchanged a look - sharp - when Obi-Wan provided vague answers to their questions about the meals they would prepare over the coming days. She listened to them attempt to get any information about his preferences and tilted her head to the side when they finally left, unsatisfied. 

Obi-Wan seemed not to notice, turning to touch the large animal he called useless, for some reason. She watched him for a moment longer and then said, gently, “It makes their jobs much easier, if they know what you like.”

Obi-Wan blinked over at her. He did have oddly bright eyes, blue and shining as the sky. The growth of hair over his jaw was still strange to her, but, then, so was the shocking color of the rest of his hair. He said, “Whose jobs?” 

She shook her head, a small smile on her mouth. “The jobs of the cooks. And your guards. And...the rest of the staff, too, I’m sure.” It was a lesson  _ she’d _ had to learn, as well. She’d not been brought up in any position of power. She understood the confusion of being thrust into a strange position with odd expectations.

Obi-Wan shrugged, swinging one foot back and forth through the water. “It does not mattering to me what they make.”

She sighed, but, then, she’d known anyone who would steal Kote’s heart would be stubborn. She said, “Even a small preference would help them.”

He stared, for a long beat, before a little furrow formed between his brows. She was struck, as his expression tensed, by the idea that perhaps he did not  _ have  _ a preference at all. She added, soft, “It is their job to make what you’d like. You’ll make things simpler for them if you just tell them, instead of making them guess.”

His expression only tensed further, and then he brightened and said, “They could making some lobster. That is good.”

That, Va’yen knew, was one of the meals Kote preferred, especially when they were close enough to shore to have access to the crustaceans. She wondered if Obi-Wan liked them at all. Still, she supposed it was a start. She said, “I will let them know. And then, perhaps, we could discuss this further.” 


	2. Kote's Pov of Their First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two prompts in this one: 
> 
> 1\. Kote wakes up and gets a good look at Obi-Wan. Mention of injuries.
> 
> 2\. Kote deals with Obi-Wan's first panic attack.

Kote’s thoughts were all pain and confusion, for so long that he barely recalled what coherency felt like. The world felt hazy and strange; it was difficult to breathe and he was not sure why, as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

There was...a strange feeling all over his skin, odd noises. Nothing he could make sense of, for what felt like weeks or perhaps months. He’d learn - later - that it was only days, his initial stretch of recovery, where he teetered on the edge of death.

But that was later.

He woke to a situation so confusing that he thought, for a long stretch, that he was hallucinating. It happened, sometimes, when wounds went bad, when there was too much pain and damage. Certainly, hallucinations made more sense than cracking his eyes open to find… some kind of wooden thing over head.

His head swam, dizziness and nausea washing through him as he tried to focus, to understand what had happened to him. His entire body was a mess of pain, radiating far too much to focus on specific injuries, but he recalled, in bits and snatches, a shark, teeth in his side, thrashing back and forth--

Kote swallowed, or tried to, anyway. His throat felt dry. Everything felt dry. And the sound was strange, sharp-edged. He shifted, ignoring the pain even such a slight movement brought and would have flinched if he had the energy, when someone spoke.

He jerked his attention around, disturbed that he had not sensed the presence of another person close to him, and readjusted his speculation about whether or not he was dreaming in his mind.

There was… a man, with him. A man oddly bright, from the red of his hair to his eyes, wearing some kind of strange… thing on his body. Dry and--

Kote considered that the man had no tail while the man said something to him, over and over, the words nonsense and noise. He was _standing up_ , they were out of the water, there was no water at all, save for some small amount in the container where Kote was resting, and it was stale and nearly suffocating.

He had to breathe through his nose and mouth, to give his lungs any relief at all, and it felt odd, unpleasant. He gripped the sides of the container where he’d been placed, wondering if this were some kind of plot by the shark-riders, or just human opportunism. They were dangerous, he’d always been told so. Violent and cruel and--

The human man kept talking. He offered something out. Some kind of small container, which also seemed to have water in it, leaning closer. And Kote knew he could not fight, not in his current condition, but the spines under his skin rose anyway.

He wouldn’t give in to whatever plot this was without a fight, he would--

The human curved his shoulders, voice very soft, offering the little container again, blue eyes cast down. He didn’t move quickly or shout. He held no weapons as far as Kote could tell. And, well. If he’d really wanted Kote dead, Kote would _be_ dead.

Kote cautiously reached out and took the container, noting, through his daze, the ugly wounds on the man’s arms. The water inside the container tasted vaguely of fish and salt. Food. He swallowed, hungrily, and wondered what was going on.

2.

Kote knew that dragging his tail into the water was a mistake even as he did it. It didn’t stop him - the itching from his tail was driving him to distraction, he just wanted to be properly submerged - but he acknowledged it wasn’t the best idea.

His head wasn’t cloudy and full of confusion, anymore. His thoughts were clear when he braced his arms on the edges and lifted himself, tail dragging into the water, ignoring Obi-Wan’s orders that he stop. 

It was odd, he could not remember the last time someone had snapped “no” at him and simply expected that he listen.

That concern felt far away as the pain down his side spiked higher, all at once. He felt a hot rush of wet down his side; he  _ felt  _ the little pops that he associated, distantly, with a stitch coming free. He’d torn them out before, and had a moment to grimace before he registered that there was something else awry in the little cabin.

Obi-Wan lurched away from the tub, making a strange, awful noise in his throat. Kote blinked, lowering himself back down into the water, watching Obi-Wan’s face get even paler, as though there were no blood in him at all. He’d grabbed the front of his shirt and fell another step back, even as Kote called to him.

He hit the wall of his cabin like he’d forgotten it was there - hard - and just...dropped. Alarm tasted bitter-sharp in the back of Kote’s throat, even as Obi-Wan fell, like his legs had just decided they weren’t going to work anymore. He caught himself on a hand, making a terrible sound, like he couldn’t breathe, like his lungs weren’t working, either. 

Kote swore - to himself, Obi-Wan wasn’t listening, that was clear - and ignored the pain in his side, nauseating though it was. He had a feeling he’d… done this. Left Obi-Wan curled over, visibly shaking, arm braced so Kote could see the healing marks below his elbow, the evidence that he’d hurt his caretaker  _ before _ , too.

Frustration and a need to do  _ something  _ \- talking wasn’t helping, Obi-Wan didn’t seem aware he even  _ existed _ , at the moment - had him bracing again. And, really, there was no thought to pulling himself out of the tub.


	3. Talking About Obi-Wan's Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-C+T. Kote finds about about the letters Obi-Wan wrote. No warnings.

The first days Kote spent up on the surface passed quickly. The first was, in fact, little more than a blur of activity, hungry touches, and the eventual crash of exhaustion, once all ceremonies had been completed. 

Kote fell asleep beside his heart and woke the next day to the sun on Obi-Wan’s hair, to another day that seemed to rush along.

Technically, he knew Obi-Wan ought to go to one of the human towns right away, to gather supplies for the journey. But they did little through the day but linger together, speaking and going over all that had happened, as the sun rose and fell again.

Obi-Wan wandered off, as the evening air began to chill around them, returning moments later with one of his little notebooks. He sat down, feet hanging over the side of the boat, bent over the page, and then paused, looked over at Kote, and laughed, a little.

“What?” Kote asked, floating on his back in the water, twitching his tail now and again to maintain his position, so he could best look up at Obi-Wan. He had marks, here and there on his bright skin. Kix had rumbled about the bites on his shoulders, but tended them, coming later to chide Kote about the relative delicacy of human skin.

“Tell him to bite you, next time,” Kix had snapped, unamused, and Kote had not said that, while he wished for that, he was worried how Obi-Wan would take the suggestion. 

Obi-Wan was not bothered by his own blood, but other people’s….

Kote shook the thought away when Obi-Wan snorted a little and sat his notebook to the side. He said, Mando’a so lovely on his tongue, “I was forgetting I did not having to write anymore at the night.”

Kote reached up, trailing fingers across the bottom of Obi-Wan’s foot, watching him jump just a little. He asked, “Why did you have to write at night?” He ceased his explorations of Obi-Wan’s ankle when Obi-Wan went quiet, looking to the side, coloring a bit across his cheeks. “Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan shrugged, twisted his hands together once, and stared over towards the horizon. “I… was writing to you. Letters. While you were not being here.” Kote’s heart gave an aching lurch in his chest and he shifted, putting a hand on one of the rungs leading up to the deck of the boat. “Every night.”

He asked, quietly, “Can I see them? The letters?” He wondered what Obi-Wan had written, if the missives would provide more information, if--

Obi-Wan shook his head, biting at his bottom lip. “No,” he said, “I. I was not finishing them. Ever. And I was...burning them.” He swallowed, hard, and finally looked over, meeting Kote’s eyes. “Every night.”

Kote stared up at him, mind happy to throw him back to their parting, to Obi-Wan’s arms around him and the empty flatness of Obi-Wan’s eyes, to promises exchanged and secured. His chest throbbed and he lashed his tail, hard enough to propel himself up to grab the railing around the deck of the ship.

Obi-Wan made a startled sound, grabbing for him as Kote pulled himself the rest of the way up, far enough to get an arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders, to kiss him and to say, while they were there, close together, “You kept your promises, then, too.”


	4. Meetings and Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Multiple prompt fills that all fit the theme of meetings:
> 
> 1\. Obi-Wan meeting more of Kote's family.
> 
> 2\. Ahsoka's POV, including a meeting w/ Obi-Wan.
> 
> 3\. Kote's POV about the council meeting Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan hadn’t had any chance to prepare when he met the first of Cody’s brothers. He barely recalled the specifics of running into Eyayah the first time, everything about the event blurred from pain and adrenaline.

Kix and Wolv had shown up with no warning, when they first arrived. He hadn’t been able to worry about what they would think of him, how they would receive him. They’d simply been there and he’d had to deal with their presence as best he could.

Meeting the rest of Cody’s family was… Different.

Cody told him they were coming, the last two of his brothers and his mother. The knowledge that they were on their way left Obi-Wan feeling aimlessly unsettled. He, technically, had a home again, purchased on the island where Cody had taken him, but…

He looked at himself in the mirror, frowned, and trimmed both his beard and his hair. None of his clothes would ever be anything much to look at, but he decided merfolk were unlikely to care another that, anyway.

One of the guards - or, well, Obi-Wan wasn’t sure the man  _ was  _ a guard, honestly, he didn’t carry himself like one and he wore no weapons - suggested that Obi-Wan ought to wear the arm bands that Cody had ordered delivered, some time ago. At a loss for how else to prepare, Obi-Wan slid them on, and when back to waiting.

It was a relief when he finally heard calls from the water.

He was waiting on the edge of the long dock on his property when the surface of the water broke, relief in his chest at Cody’s appearance. It felt natural to dive into the water, to greet Cody, who pulled him close and rubbed their foreheads together before kissing him. 

For a moment, Obi-Wan did not worry, over much, about the subsequent splashes and arrivals of additional merfolk. But the sweet joy of reunion faded, after a moment, as Cody tugged him around and began offering introductions as he gestured at the others around them in the water. 

2\. 

Ahsoka sometimes wondered what her life would have been like, had she not snuck off to join the Mandalorians after the initial ratification of the treaty between their peoples. Her mother would likely have kept her away from the war. She likely would have only met her potential husbands after things were settled and resolved, in carefully rehearsed settings.

Perhaps she would not have selected Rex. Perhaps Rex would not even have lived through the war. 

She set the thoughts aside, contented - again - with her decision to follow along with the Mandalorians, though her aunt still chided her for it, occasionally. In the end, she’d served her family as requested.

The fresh tattoo on her chest still fascinated her. She raised a hand to it, absently, as they made their way towards the surface.

She wondered if she’d have been invited to meet Kote’s human husband, if she had not snuck along, so long ago. He was protective of his spouse, though she supposed she couldn’t blame him, not after what had happened during the war. 

She knew not quite what to expect, in all honestly. She’d never seen a living human up close before, though she’d seen her fair share of the dead. A large craft had sunk near her home, a few years ago. There had been dozens - perhaps hundreds - of dead men aboard, floating and drifting around as the vessel plunged past.

Ahsoka wondered if, perhaps, Kote’s husband would look like any of them. She’d discussed it with Rex, several times, but he knew no more than she did. Eyayah - who had joined them for the trip - knew plenty, but was less than helpful.

It seemed unbelievable that anyone would  _ choose  _ to marry a human. But, then, many had said the same thing about the Mandalorians, and she was well pleased with her match. Kote seemed well pleased with his; he’d returned to Sundari after his last visit with fresh marks on his shoulders and it had quieted many of the remaining murmurs of discontent about the marriage.

Ahsoka had been surprised that the wounds were not deeper, not worse. Everyone said humans were monstrous. Vicious. Her mind built imaginings of the person waiting for them at the surface, and her heart beat faster as they finally approached a cove, as they rose into the air.

There was a man, waiting for them. A human man, standing on a dock. He was -- bright to look at, and did not look very much like a monster at all. Just a person without a tail. She blinked in surprise at the color of his hair, which caught the light. And then he was in the water, before she could properly process his appearance.

She assumed, based on the way he embraced Kote, that he was the spouse they’d heard so much and so little about. 

Introductions happened quickly, Kote keeping an arm around his husband, who did not seem afraid in the water. Ahsoka stared at him, bemused by the hair on his cheeks and even his chest. She wondered, absently, if it felt the same as hair on the head. 

The man - Obi-Wan - bore up under the stares well enough, and all the questions that followed. Ahsoka held her own, until they moved up to the shore, where the man walked from the waves, calling something about food. 

He returned with platters full of unfamiliar items, which Eyayah happily began eating with all evidence of delight. Ahsoka pulled herself up onto the sand and tried one - a round thing, with firm skin that burst with liquid when she took a bite of it, the flavor--

Well.

She had no words to describe the flavor. It tasted like nothing she’d ever had before and she made a startled sound, swallowing without chewing. Kote’s husband - Obi-Wan - crouched beside her as she took another bite, and said, “Do not eating the hard stone in the middle.”

She blinked over at him. It was… a strange choice for their first words directly exchanged, but likely good advice. She nodded and said, “Thank you. What are they?”

“We call them plums,” he said, with an upturn of his mouth. He’d pulled clothing on over his shoulders and arms, for some reason, but she could see, through the collar, marks on his skin, the imprint of teeth. 

“They’re very good,” she said, swallowing another bite, rubbing at the juice running down her wrist, off of her hand. “Where do they come from?” 

He ended up sitting beside her on the sand, speaking of human orchards and how they grew things, and other kinds of fruit, until Kote pulled himself up onto the sand beside them, curled an arm around Obi-Wan’s waist, and nuzzled against the side of his head.

And Ahsoka knew well enough when it was better to cut a conversation short. She grabbed another plum and rolled back towards the water, the low rasp of Kote’s voice - words too quiet for her to hear - following her out into the water. 

3\. 

Kote was terribly aware of the spines under the surface of his skin, even before the representatives sent by the council arrived. He knew, well enough, that such a meeting was necessary. They had a right to meet his husband. 

But the fact remained that a member of the council had tried to arrange Obi-Wan’s murder. Kote had never determined - to his satisfaction - if anyone else had been directly involved in that plot. He could only hope that the point he’d made had stuck, that if there were additional conspirators they’d abandoned their plans.

Obi-Wan watched him, eyes sharp and worried, and Kote adjusted the necklaces around his throat one more time. Obi-Wan said, quietly, “Are you sure I should be wearing all...this?” He tended to ask, every time Kote requested that he dress to display his position.

“Yes,” Kote said, pleased with the still-healing marks on Obi-Wan’s shoulders, the band of shell, gems, and pearls around his waist. If nothing else, the Council’s first look at Obi-Wan should proclaim  _ exactly  _ who he was, and his relative status to them. 

Obi-Wan pulled a fact but did not protest. He’d stopped bringing the subject up overmuch after Kote’s mother had a talk with him, some weeks ago, but still looked a bit uncomfortable every time he wore any of the finery Kote tried to give him.

Kote kissed him, holding him close and nuzzling against his hair, just for a moment, and, after, Kote went to speak with Wolv, just in case the members of the council decided to cause problems. He felt...as secure about the situation as possible by the time they arrived.

The first disruption occurred almost immediately during introductions, when Obi-Wan offered a proper greeting and one of the council members turned, gaping, to say, “You  _ do  _ speak.”

Kote bristeled, mouth opening, and Obi-Wan spoke before he could snap anything. “Yes. In fact several languages,” Obi-Wan said, with a small little smile. “Is there one in specific you would liking to ask me about?”

Kote watched various members of the council exchange glances, surprise written all over their features, and felt a little smile tug at his mouth. He ran a hand up Obi-Wan’s back, exhaled, and the conversation moved forward, into what seemed to be a quiz about the languages Obi-Wan spoke and how he’d learned them, and onward. 

The meeting did not come to blood, and that was, Kote thought, better than he’d dared to hope for. He considered it, that evening, stretched out beside Obi-Wan. There’d been no bloodshed, but Obi-Wan looked exhausted, even as Kote helped him remove the special bands he’d ordered made for around Obi-Wan’s legs.

“What did you think of them?” Kote asked, eventually, Obi-Wan’s silence on the subject eating away at him.

Obi-Wan sighed and shrugged, leaning back against the wall of the home they’d made, the pearls on his chest shifting as he did. Kote stroked his thumb across the faint imprint left behind by the band he’d worn around his thigh, distraction trying to edge into his thoughts.

He sat it aside when Obi-Wan said, “They are seeming very nice.”

Kote narrowed his eyes, thumb going still. “But?” Obi-Wan’s mouth quirked. He shook his head, and Kote sighed out, “Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan shrugged again and unclasped the pearls from his neck, settling them aside. He said, “Nothing. I am most very impressed by their restraint. None asked me to perform even one trick.”

Kote grimaced. He said, “Did they make--”

“It is most alright,” Obi-Wan interrupted, expression soft and tired. He leaned forward and curled a hand around the back of Kote’s head, pulling him into a kiss and saying, “It is what I am expecting. Your mother was warning me, before.”

And Kote was, he supposed, grateful for that, grateful that she’d thought to warn Obi-Wan about the social reactions of the council, while Kote had been so preoccupied with the worry that they’d try to attack him physically.

“They won’t stay long,” Kote told him, more a promise than anything else, and Obi-Wan nodded against his skin, brushing a touch across his mouth. 

“Help me out of the rest of this,” Obi-Wan said, quietly, a moment later, and Kote was happy to comply, pulling him closer and setting aside all thoughts of the council. 


	5. Obi-Wan Gets to Chomp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some reciprocal biting post-C+T. Explicit sexual content in this one.

The very first bites Cody had given Obi-Wan scarred over, the skin smooth to the touch, little marks that he wore on his shoulders. Subsequent bites healed more quickly, marks fading away, especially because Kix insisted on properly treating them, but Obi-Wan did not mind so much.

Cody usually returned by the time they faded completely and left him with new ones. 

Obi-Wan grew used to the faint ache, the sharper throb of pain, the way it slid down his spine and into his gut.

The biting was, obviously, not a habit particular to Cody. He’d called it something his people did. And Obi-Wan had proof of that. Wolv had a few marks on his shoulders, as well, scarred over. A few of his guards did, also. 

Obi-Wan considered that Cody had no marks at all on his skin, one evening, as they lay on his bed, all tangled together. He trailed his fingers over unblemished skin, tried to imagine, and--

Exhaled, his breathing trying to twist around on him, into something unpleasant. “Obi-Wan?” Cody asked, sleepily, and Obi-Wan made a comforting sound, sliding an arm around him and pressing closer. 

The merman who had tried to kill him had implied he was a monster. Something dangerous. He wasn’t wrong. Obi-Wan knew very well he had the capacity to cause harm and injury, no matter how much he didn’t want to damage anyone.

He stayed awake, listening to the steady pound of Cody’s heart, thinking about causing hurt intentionally. He was still thinking about it the following day, when Cody mouthed at the marks he’d left yesterday, brushing pressure against the bite that had Obi-Wan groaning and clutching at him, head falling to the side.

He bled only a little, in the aftermath, and Cody tended to it, hands soft and careful, while Obi-Wan stared at Cody’s shoulders and, in the quiet place his head went to, after they were together, thought about it again.

His teeth were all different. Not so sharp. It would take more force to even break the skin; it would hurt more.

Sometimes, after all, he didn’t even know it when Cody bit him at first. The first slide in was often so smooth that it was only when Cody exhaled, breath hot against his skin, that Obi-Wan really felt it.

“What are you thinking?” Cody asked him, brushing the softest of kisses to the bruised skin around the bite. “I can hear you, worrying about something.”

Obi-Wan felt too lethargic to do anything but curl his mouth into a smile. He said, smile getting a little wider when Cody hitched his leg higher, “Do you - should I be biting you, too?”

Cody went still against him, fingers still curved around Obi-Wan’s thigh, claws just prickling at his skin. Cody lifted his head, looking at him, mouth stained just a little with red, when he said, softly, “You don’t have to.”

Obi-Wan hummed and slung an arm up, over Cody’s shoulders. “But I should, shouldn’t I?”

“You shouldn’t do anything you don’t want to do,” Cody told him, and kissed his mouth, the blood tasting of salt and copper.

It felt like a distraction. Obi-Wan shifted to the side, brushed his forehead against Cody’s and said, “But do you - want it?”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody said, with a little clicking sound, before he tugged Obi-Wan closer. “I want  _ you _ . That’s all.” Obi-Wan opened his mouth, and Cody cupped the side of his head, and continued, “ _ Yes _ , I’d like it. But it is not necessary.”

And Obi-Wan relaxed against him, holding the answer inside of his chest. 

#

Cody wanted Obi-Wan to set teeth against his skin. The knowledge lived within Obi-Wan’s thoughts, after Cody returned to Sundari. He considered it, looking at his teeth in the mirror. They were - for the most part - dull and flat edged. 

And he’d never liked hurting people. 

But…Well.  _ His  _ likes were not the only ones that mattered.

He turned the idea over and over. It had not left him by the time Cody returned to him, by the time they tangled together again, relearning one another in a storm of want and need. Their first meetings were always hungry, full of need.

The second time they tangled together was slower, more careful. The second time, Obi-Wan took a breath and slid a kiss across Cody’s shoulder, his hand moving sure and steady over Cody’s cock. He felt Cody groan in appreciation. The second time, Obi-Wan braced himself and dragged the edge of his teeth over skin - hand moving a little faster - and Cody swore, a hand coming up and fisting in the back of Obi-Wan’s hair, and--

Obi-Wan assumed he would be jerked away. 

Cody held him, instead, breath coming more ragged. 

Obi-Wan swallowed, lifting his mouth barely a whisper from Cody’s skin, wetted by his mouth. Cody was hard in his hand, close to the edge. The light pouring off of his skin filled the little cabin of the ship. It was so bright that Obi-Wan wondered if it could be seen through the windows. 

He licked across his bottom lip, mouth curiously dry, his gut hard and tight, adrenaline burning sharp and jagged in his veins. He said, still so close to the skin, “I - it’ll hurt.”

Cody made a rough sound. He said, “Do you care that it hurts, when I bite you?”

Obi-Wan shivered. There was a new bite on his shoulder, throbbing and hot from Cody’s mouth. He swallowed, again, adjusting the way he straddled Cody’s tail, scales rubbing against his thighs, maintaining the rhythm of his hand, lowering his mouth again, just to touch skin, so soft and precious and--

He lifted his mouth off, and Cody strangled out, “You don’t have to, Obi-Wan.”

And Cody had given him...so much. Love and kindness, acceptance. Hope, again, perhaps.

Obi-Wan could give him this, at least once.

He took a breath, held it, and lowered his mouth, moving his hand more quickly over Cody’s cock, curling his other arm beneath Cody’s shoulders, looking for a place to grip, for leverage, teeth brushing over skin, over Cody’s collarbone--

Cody made a punched out noise at even the barest hint of pressure. His head tipped to the side, his fingers tightened in Obi-Wan’s hair, and he rolled his cock up into Obi-Wan’s hand, into the circle of his fingers, leaving little wet smears all over Obi-Wan’s stomach.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, breathed out - it was just like preparing to take a shot, he thought, from somewhere far away, letting out a breath with his finger just resting on the trigger, so it was steady and - 

He had to apply a significant amount of pressure, feeling himself shiver down his spine as Cody groaned and held onto him. He felt the give, tasted blood on his tongue, and made his hand keep moving, thoughts racing along in a confusing jumble, gut clenched unpleasantly tight, worried about--

Cody panted out his name, all ragged edges, and spilled across his fingers. Obi-Wan made an echoed sound, relief more than anything, and released his jaw, turned his face to the side, cheek pressed to Cody’s shoulder, his warm, soft skin. 

He kept moving his hand. He’d realized, as they got more experience with one another, that Cody liked that better, liked to be stroked through the long stretch of his orgasm, cock twitching beneath his fingers as he smeared a mess all over both of them.

“Was--are you--?” Obi-Wan managed to ask, gut tight with worry and mouth tasting of copper, and Cody tugged him up and around, pressing their foreheads together and then kissing Obi-Wan’s mouth, sucking - carefully - on his lower lip, and--

And surprise had Obi-Wan crying out when Cody slung an arm around him and rolled him, settling against him, Cody’s cock still hard and so slick now, kissing and touching and pressing against him until everything else went away.

Obi-Wan clung onto him, and hoped that meant he’d enjoyed it. 


	6. Firsts- Kote's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two scenes from F+J from Kote's POV.
> 
> 1\. Obi-Wan taking a bath.
> 
> 2\. Their first kiss.

Kote woke up to the soft sound of water. It was a far nicer awakening than he’d had earlier in the morning, when Obi-Wan made an attempt to scream himself hoarse, thrashing over in his sleeping place, before moving out of the building, ignoring all Kote’s requests that he stay.

Kote hadn’t meant to fall asleep again, after that. He’d meant to be awake when Obi-Wan returned from wherever he went, but his injuries and exhaustion had pulled him under, at some point.

He blinked his eyes open, determined to find some way to make Obi-Wan listen to him, and felt all the words die on his throat as he registered what was going on in the cabin.

Obi-Wan was...standing over by the table, his skin glistening and wet. There were… bubbles all over much of him, for some reason. He was scrubbing at himself, not paying any attention to Kote. He must have thought Kote still asleep, and--

Kote had not seen his bare skin, before. Not much of it, anyway. He was pale all over, covered with little dots of color, here and there. The bright hair he had also appeared to grow on his chest and arms. Around--

Kote blinked, leaning a little away from the back of the tub. 

So that was what a human cock looked like. It seemed pinker than the rest of his skin and was, for some reason, out and hanging between his legs. Kote could think of no reason for it to be out, not unless he planned to touch himself.

Perhaps he did. 

That would be--

The sudden slant of Kote’s thoughts got disrupted when Obi-Wan bent over and submerged his head in a bucket on the table. He lifted it again, after only a moment, and water ran down over his face and shoulders, his hair darkened and flat, normal looking for the first time. 

And Kote did not _mean_ to make a thick sound of appreciation, no more than he meant to let his skin light up from beneath, so painfully obvious about his interest in a man who had, thus far, seemed solely preoccupied with tending to his injuries.

Obi-Wan turned at the noise, bubbles and water moving down his skin. He said something but Kote barely registered the words. They made very little sense, anyway. He understood a handful of the things Obi-Wan said, at the best of times. When he wasn’t very, very distracted by suddenly seeing so much skin.

Obi-Wan went back to his - his use of the water and said something else. He glanced over again, after a moment, and Kote realized that he’d been silent for, perhaps, too long. Just staring, at someone who had shown no reciprocal interest.

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened as he looked over and, all at once, his skin changed color. His face tinged redder, almost glowing in the way his hair did. Kote watched the color wash down Obi-Wan’s throat and felt his gut get tighter, all at once.

Humans were _very_ different from his own folk. Perhaps he should not have expected that they would use the same visual cues to indicate their feelings. Lights were probably less effective with the brightness of the sun always around them, anyway.

It made sense that they used a different method of changing colors to convey their feelings.

Kote watched the color spread a little further down Obi-Wan’s chest, and felt relief and pleasure mix together in his gut. So his attentions were _not_ completely one-sided, then. That was very good to know. He leaned a little closer and said, because it was true, thought Obi-Wan would have no idea what the words meant, “You’re very lovely.”

2.

Kote had never experienced a storm above the waves. He hoped not to experience any more, after watching what they did to Obi-Wan.

He’d understood some measure of the ailment that plagued Obi-Wan, before the thunder started. The storms aggravated the condition. He did not understand why; perhaps some day he’d be able to get Obi-Wan to explain. For the time, it was enough to try to ease him through the crashing thunder and the flashing light from the sky.

He meant to stay awake, as the storm raged. He meant to keep singing, because the singing seemed to help. There was so little he could do to help Obi-Wan, to repay even a measure of the kindness he’d shown.

Kote could at least wrap him up and make him dry, could curl an arm around him and hold him while he shook and trembled, could sing to him, until he slept, his expression still troubled even in dreams.

Kote meant to stay awake, but his injuries exhausted him, and he slept, eventually, leaning over the side of the tub, an arm curled around Obi-Wan’s chest, feeling the erratic beating of his heart, as though, even in dreams, he were terrified of something.

He woke up to find Obi-Wan already stirring around. The terror of the previous evening seemed to have washed away. He wasn’t shaking anymore and time had dried him off, leaving his hair standing up at odd angles. 

There were marks on the side of his face from where he’d been leaning against Kote as he slept. Obi-Wan greeted him in Mando’a as they both woke, and it warmed something deep in Kote’s chest. He liked the way his language sounded in Obi-Wan’s mouth. 

He liked the way his  _ name _ sounded in Obi-Wan’s mouth.

Being so close to Obi-Wan felt different in the light of the morning, without the storm leaving Obi-Wan so upset and out of sorts. He was only...soft and close, with his eyes so bright they rivaled the sky.

And he was making no effort to pull away, though he had been awake longer than Kote, just… looking at him. Kote looked back, considering the faint tinge of color in his cheeks, the warmth of his skin. Obi-Wan was  _ always  _ warmer than him. Kote liked that, too.

He liked...so many things about Obi-Wan. He considered that, running his hand up Obi-Wan’s chest, over the line of his throat, to his jaw, the strange hair there odd against his fingertips but not unpleasant. 

Obi-Wan was lovely. Kind and gentle with him. And so very, very close. Kote had already realized he’d like to be closer. But he didn’t want to simply assume that Obi-Wan felt the same way and so he hesitated - showing his intentions as clearly as possible - instead of simply closing the last of the distance between them, and asked, in English, “Yes?”

He felt a kick of pleasure when Obi-Wan breathed out, barely a moment later, “Yes.”

And Kote leaned forward and kissed him, lights shining out of his skin to match the color on Obi-Wan’s cheeks.


	7. Differences in Bed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan makes a go of wearing his husband out, post-C+T. Explicit!

Obi-Wan spent time considering the many differences between humans and merfolk as time passed. So many of them were obvious. Others were… less so. There were some he only got to explore when Cody was with him, when they could get close to one another, tangle together.

Learning the things that Cody liked was, very much, a pleasing endeavor. Learning the things that he would have expected from a lover of his own kind took more time, partially because it meant unlearning so much Obi-Wan had grown up accepting.

But Obi-Wan knew how to adapt and very much enjoyed learning everything possible about Cody. And so he learned that Cody wanted his touch to  _ continue _ , even after orgasm raced through him. He wanted to be touched all through the aftershocks and - and beyond, ideally.

Obi-Wan picked up other information - here and there - in his new home, about different species that lived in the water. He assumed, after some reading, that perhaps the merfolk  _ also  _ had an actual bone in their cocks. 

It would explain a lot. Including Cody’s ability to...keep going, past the point when a human would have grown soft and over-sensitive.

Still, Cody never pushed for them to continue longer, never continued touching when Obi-Wan grabbed his hand to still him, though Obi-Wan’s reactions to orgasm must have seemed odd to him. He simply….accepted what they had, and, the one time Obi-Wan broached the subject of their couplings being, well, less than satisfying, he’d seemed genuinely befuddled.

He’d proceeded to demonstrate exactly how satisfying he found their joining, and Obi-Wan knew he’d made enough noise to carry through the water, based solely on the looks he got from his guards the next day.

So, Cody had no….complaints about their love-making. But that did not stop Obi-Wan from wanting to give him, well. Something closer to what he expected. What he was used to. At least occasionally. Obi-Wan considered his options for making such a thing happen while Cody was away, handling things in Sundari.

By the time Cody returned, he had a plan. 

Cody ever and always enjoyed having Obi-Wan’s mouth on him, and happily collapsed back against their low bed as Obi-Wan bent over him, barely exchanging initial greetings. Obi-Wan felt impatient under his skin, keyed up with desire, which was not quite his intent.

He needed to hold off his own release as long as possible, to make any of this tenable, and so he ignored the ache of his cock, sliding his mouth further down, instead. Cody panted out his name, hand brushing back over his hair, his skin tasting of salt.

Obi-Wan enjoyed the feel of each ridge sliding over his bottom lip, over and over again, enjoyed the way Cody swore, muscle tensing in his stomach and his fin. They had been apart for nearly two weeks. Obi-Wan knew it would not take long, not the first time, and slid his mouth further down, swallowing, nose brushing scales and--

Cody groaned out a warning, tugging just a little on Obi-Wan’s hair, and Obi-Wan hummed reassuringly around his cock. The vibration must have been just enough to toss Cody over the edge; he arched, cock twitching, pulsing against the top of Obi-Wan’s tongue.

Obi-Wan stayed where he was as long as possible, his eyes watering, his throat aching. He could hold his breath  _ quite _ a long time, which - he’d found - had uses besides swimming. He stroked Cody’s side, breath held in his chest, and Cody rocked sinuously up off of the bed, slow rolls of his body, working his cock in Obi-Wan’s throat, the ache of it deep and sweet and--

And Obi-Wan eventually had to slide up, sucking in a breath through his nose and resisting the urge to cough, even as another wave of come spilled into his mouth, this time.

He swallowed it, the tip of Cody’s cock between his lips, keeping him there until Cody panted out, “Fuck, Obi-Wan, come  _ here _ ,” and grabbed at him, pulling him up to kiss him, slick with the wet smeared all over Obi-Wan’s mouth.

Cody rubbed at his cheeks, groaning against his mouth, the hard line of his cock pressed against Obi-Wan’s thigh, where Obi-Wan had intentionally tossed a leg across him. Cody reached down, fingers sliding over Obi-Wan’s stomach, and Obi-Wan caught his wrist, tugging to the side.

“What?” Cody asked, drawing back enough to blink at him. “I want to--”

“Not yet,” Obi-Wan cut in, with a smile that felt half-wild. He’d never get to what he wanted to do if Cody started touching him. He’d get distracted, overwhelmed with pleasure. That could wait, at least for a little.

“But--” Cody started, and cut off when Obi-Wan shifted, straddling him properly, scales so cool against the insides of his thighs, Cody spread out under him, the purple light pouring off of his skin lighting up the otherwise dark room around them. 

Obi-Wan ground against him, just for a moment, sending a shiver of want down his own back, leaving it pooling in his gut. It was so tempting to just continue the movement, and it had been two weeks for  _ him _ , too. 

He had the brief thought that he should have - perhaps - waited to attempt this until Cody had been back a few days, until they’d burned out some of their initial wants. But he’d been impatient. And so he ignored his own aching cock, sitting up a little straighter and reaching for the oil he’d set to the side.

“I missed you,” he panted out, slicking his fingers and sliding his hand down over Cody’s cock, already wet from his mouth and throat. He ached with how much he wanted, and with the preparations he’d done, earlier.

He’d left himself so close to coming, earlier, when he was getting ready for this, stretching himself out, hoping to make himself  _ less  _ on edge once Cody actually arrived.

Things hadn’t quite worked out that way, but… “I miss you with every breath,” Cody told him, “hold on, I can help,” he started, sliding a hand over Obi-Wan’s hip, around to his ass, and he’d been very pleased with himself for filing down two of his nails, last time he’d visited.

Obi-Wan couldn’t think of the feeling of Cody’s fingers inside of him - only to the second knuckle, because the webbing got in the way after that - or he’d spill before they even got started. He bit his bottom lip, made a ragged sound, and sank down, hoping to distract himself.

The stretch of Cody’s cock  _ was  _ distracting, but it did absolutely nothing to slow down the blazing rush of want in his spine. Cody made a thick, hungry sound, both hands on Obi-Wan’s hips now, squeezing as he rasped out, “You--fuck--you  _ got ready _ ? Ready for me?”

“I was knowing you were going to be here,” Obi-Wan managed to answer, a smile on his mouth as he considered the hunger in Cody’s expression, wondering why Cody seemed to like that information so much. “I did not wanting to wait.”

Cody’s eyes were so wide and so dark as he panted out, “I won’t make you wait, then,” and arched up, driving his cock the rest of the way inside, Obi-Wan crying out at the feel of him, half-falling forward, catching himself on his hands. 

Cody no longer had to worry about hurting his stomach or agitating wounds when they were together. He moved beneath Obi-Wan, and it took Obi-Wan a dizzy moment to even think about meeting his movements.

First, he had to reach a hand down and squeeze the base of his cock, because just the feel of it after so long….

“You’re not stroking yourself,” Cody said, ragged, his gaze down by Obi-Wan’s cock, by his unmoving hand, and Obi-Wan jerked out a nod, unable to find words at the moment. “I’ll help you,” Cody added, sliding a hand over, and Obi-Wan made a rough sound.

“Not yet,” he managed to pant out, wrestling for control and managing some measure of it after a moment. Cody blinked up at him, expression questioning, and Obi-Wan added, “I want. To wait. A while longer.”

Cody opened his mouth and shut it again on a groan when Obi-Wan felt controlled enough to rise up, to sink down on him, and, oh, he felt so  _ good _ . 

At least, in this position, Obi-Wan could avoid direct stimulation of his prostate. But it was still so good, having Cody in him after so long denied. He was so painfully aware of his aching cock, of the need, and he could feel himself losing his rhythm, distracted and wanting and--

And it was not much of a surprise when Cody wrapped an arm around him and rolled them, rasping, “Let me, I’ve got you,” and  _ oh _ , changing the angle and fucking into him. Obi-Wan groaned, wordless as Cody hooked an arm under one of his knees, hitching his leg up.

Obi-Wan had  _ meant  _ not to come yet. He really had, but the position dragged his cock against Cody’s stomach, and Cody drove into him so perfectly, and it had been too long, and he spilled with a ragged cry, scrambling for a grip at Cody’s shoulders and arms.

Cody hesitated, breathing hard above him, and Obi-Wan dug his free heel against Cody’s back, panting out, “Keep--keep going, it’s, keep--”

It was, apparently, all the motivation Cody needed. He rocked into motion, fucking Obi-Wan through it, mucles shifting and clenching under Obi-Wan’s hands until he cried out, as well, curling forward and coming in long, hot pulses and Obi-Wan  _ felt  _ them.

He’d gotten used to the way Cody rolled against him, after an orgasm. Even sensitive, he loved that slow movement, the knowledge that he could make Cody feel so good. He felt his breathing even out as Cody nuzzled against his hair, still all lit up, casting shadows on the walls around them.

Cody brushed a kiss to his mouth, long moments later, and shifted to slide out of him, murmuring, “Let me get you some--”

“Stay,” Obi-Wan panted, tugging on Cody’s arm even as he rolled. He wanted to - to see if he  _ could  _ wear Cody out, properly. But his hips protested the idea of trying another round on his back. He vaguely considered that he should have cleaned the come off of his stomach before smearing it all over the sheets, but it was too late to fix that now. He glanced over his shoulder and said, “Come here.”

Cody stared at him, looked down his body and then up again, eyes unfathomably dark. He said, “But… I know you’re tired.”

“Not that tired,” Obi-Wan assured him, and slid one knee a little out to the side, which was, he knew, a bit of a dirty trick.

Cody was ever so fascinated with the way he could bend and stretch his legs. And, sure enough, it had Cody sliding a hand up the back of his thigh, rolling a little closer, asking, “Should I hold you, then?”

“You should fucking me, then,” Obi-Wan told him, and Cody made a thick sound. After all, Obi-Wan wasn’t  _ that  _ sensitive, not yet. His plan was still manageable, and--

Cody slid against him, between his legs, settling close and all the thoughts fled Obi-Wan’s head as Cody asked, “You’re sure?”

“Come on,” Obi-Wan said, in answer, tilting his hips up, and then swore, thready, when Cody pushed forward, into him, all at once, he was already so slick and stretched and--

And Obi-Wan felt himself getting hard again, the situation getting more pressing when Cody worked a hand under him, gripping his cock, stroking in time with each thrust, panting against his shoulders, and--

Obi-Wan’s second orgasm left him shaking, face pressed against the sheets while Cody kept going, mouthing at the back of his neck, leaving his skin aching in anticipation. Obi-Wan managed to twist an arm up and back, to twist fingers into Cody’s hair, tugging him closer.

Cody bit him almost right by his neck, teeth sinking in at the end of his orgasm, when he felt most sensitive, and he cried out, blindingly aware of each slide of Cody’s cock, of each shift of his teeth, or his weight and warmth and light.

Cody blanketed him and came with a sound that was muffled against Obi-Wan’s skin.

And Obi-Wan managed to say, through the daze, before Cody could get any ideas about pulling out and getting him water, about tending to the bite, “ _ Again _ .”

Cody made a ragged noise and rocked into him more purposefully, and it was--so much. Too much and at the same time not enough, as though there were some plateau in Obi-Wan’s head that he’d never reached before, and each too-much touch was driving him closer to it.

He squirmed, couldn’t stop himself, heard a whine in his throat as Cody kept his teeth set just so. There was no room for thought, for  _ anything _ really. He was just his blood and his nerves and sensation, striving to see, exactly, how much he could take.


	8. the use of LEDs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan puts a new invention to work, aha. Set many years after the end of C+T. EXPLICIT.

Sometimes, the realization that he could just buy the things he wanted still startled Obi-Wan. Even without the obvious riches of Mandalore, he had the ability to purchase near anything he wanted to have.

Over the years, Obi-Wan had found he wanted very little.

Still, occasionally new products caught his eye, things that he read about in the newspapers and magazines that eventually made their way into his hands. He tended to get news at a slightly delayed rate, but cared little about that.

He learned about things eventually. 

One of the things he learned about what a new form of light, recently developed. They were… smaller, by far, than the electric lights he’d grown used to. And they could, apparently, be used to make different colors, based on their construction. 

Obi-Wan read the article he found about them fully, then went into town and sent a letter to one of the acquaintances he’d made through his work, requesting both more information and - if possible - directions on how to purchase the small lights.

And then he waited.

It took time to get the answers he was looking for, and longer past that to actually acquire the LEDs. Cody had only just returned to Sundari when the package finally came, which gave Obi-Wan plenty of time to assess the lights, to determine how they worked, and to think about how he might utilize them.

In the end, he sacrificed an old shirt to the cause, cutting little holes through it and feeding a string of lights down the underside, secured with thread. He snorted to himself, setting the finished product aside, and wondered if Cody would flash bright amusement at him, when he revealed the construction.

Obi-Wan had long since grown used to the differences in how they expressed themselves. But the idea of being able to...well, mimic some of the emotional displays of the merfolk had an appeal, though perhaps only for him.

He had to wait until Cody returned to try it out, and did not don the shirt first thing. He waited, instead, until after they’d had their reunions. They’d had so many years together, but there was always a fierce, hot joy to seeing Cody again, to holding him and resting beside one another.

Obi-Wan relished it, still, rousing only slowly the next morning, as Cody went off to speak with Wolv and - if he were returned from his most recent journey - Eyayah. Obi-Wan scrubbed at his face, pleasantly achy already, and, with a crook of his mouth, retrieved the shirt he’d made. 

It felt heavy, courtesy of the lights he’d strung along the inside, just peeking through the fabric. He arranged it over his shoulders, drank some tea, and sat down to revise a paper he’d been working on while he waited for Cody’s return.

He didn’t have to wait long. 

Cody never stayed away for too long, during their time together. 

Obi-Wan left his work - it was well in order, anyway - and went to join Cody, who pulled him close right away, humming when Obi-Wan asked, “And how is Wolv doing today?”

“He’s fine,” Cody said, absently, nuzzling back against Obi-Wan’s hair, picking at the front of his shirt, fingers sliding towards the first of the buttons. Left to his own devices, Obi-Wan knew very well that Cody would have him out of it within moments.

Which would quite defeat the purpose. Obi-Wan exhaled, wondering again if Cody would react with amusement, and clicked the small switch that activated the lights. 

Faint blue light spilled around them. The little diodes were not very bright, far from blinding. But they  _ did  _ make light, noticeable, which shone across Cody’s skin.

Cody froze, eyes going wider as he looked down. He shifted, pushing away just a little, gaze dragging up and down, and Obi-Wan flushed, wondering if he’d done something silly, opening his mouth to try to explain, and--

The only sound that came from his mouth was a muffled cry as Cody surged to close the distance between them, blue-purple light blazing from his skin as he pressed a kiss to Obi-Wan’s mouth, hungry all at once, hands everywhere.

Obi-Wan  _ barely  _ remembered to turn on the second string of lights, the purple ones, and when he did Cody made a desperate, ragged sound, shoving him onto his back and looming above him, just for a moment. 

Obi-Wan felt breathless, burning under Cody’s devouring gaze, and managed to rasp out, “Does this--”

And then Cody was sliding down, tail hitting something off to one side as he tugged at Obi-Wan’s pants, Obi-Wan squirming to help get the damn things off. Obi-Wan bit his lip on a groan as Cody nipped at his hip and then slid his mouth over the tip of Obi-Wan’s cock, going so fast, all at once, hitching one of Obi-Wan’s legs over his shoulder without even a moment’s hesitation.

Obi-Wan was already aching from their reunion. He felt his spine bow up when Cody pressed two fingers against him, nails neatly and freshly filed down and--and Cody’s fingers were thicker than his own, cooler, the catch of his webbing always a jolt of sensation when he pressed in as deep as he could manage, Obi-Wan managing to get a hand in his hair, holding on.

Cody had learned - long ago - the best ways to take Obi-Wan apart. They had years of experience with each other’s bodies. Obi-Wan choked on a noise, a warning, and Cody lifted his head, letting Obi-Wan spill across his stomach, only to smear his hand through the come.

And it always made Obi-Wan shiver, when Cody slicked himself up that way, fast and impatient, dragging Obi-Wan’s other leg up and arranging himself, eyes wide and reflecting the purple light coming off of Obi-Wan’s shirt, expression  _ hungry  _ as he pushed forward.

Obi-Wan threw an arm over his head, hand bracing on the wall, and groaned at the first thrust.

Cody collapsed down over him, eventually, both of them spent and breathing raggedly. Cody rested his forehead against Obi-Wan’s, shifting to allow one of Obi-Wan’s legs to slide down, and Obi-Wan nuzzled against him, slinging an arm around him, buzzing with pleasure. It took him a moment to gather the wherewithal to ask, “So, you liked them, then?”

Cody went still and then flashed at him, sharp and bright light, fast, amused, with fondness written all over his expression as he rasped back, “Safe to assume I liked them  _ very much _ , Obi-Wan.”


	9. Character Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All good things end. Cody and Obi-Wan grow old together and....deal with the inevitable outcome of that. Character death, but from natural causes.

Kote lost Obi-Wan at sunrise.

It was not a surprise, not a sudden loss. They’d both known for some time that Obi-Wan was ill. He had not mentioned it, not at first, but Kote had watched him grow weaker, had noted his increasingly lengthy conversations with Kix.

It seemed deeply unfair that humans would share the same wasting disease that affected some of Kote’s people as they aged. That while they were so different, they would share such a similar ailment. That it would eat Obi-Wan up from the inside. 

Obi-Wan had told him about it almost two years ago while they were curled together, one of Kote’s arms thrown over him. They still fitted together so well, despite all the changes time had wrought on them, despite the way the color had all gone out of Obi-Wan’s hair, despite--

They’d had two years together, after Kix diagnosed the wasting disease. Two years almost entirely together, because Kote had given the throne to Rex’s daughter. She was more than ready to take it, and, from all that he’d heard, Dal ruled well and fairly.

They’d had two years.

He knew he should have been grateful.

He lost Obi-Wan at sunrise, the horizon turning the color Obi-Wan’s hair had been, once, and did not feel grateful at all.

Kote pulled Obi-Wan a little closer, further off of the sand, tucking Obi-Wan’s head under his chin and fighting against the terrible, crushing ache in his chest. He could hear, from a distance, the sounds he was making, high and panicked.

He was disturbing the quiet peace of the morning, and could not stop himself, rocking fitfully back and forth, hand stroking over Obi-Wan’s hair, wishing--

Just wishing.

It had been peaceful. He knew he ought to be grateful for that, too. There’d been pain, but Kix had managed that, mostly, kept the worst of it at bay over the past months. Obi-Wan had just… faded away, almost the way he’d spoken of doing, so long ago.

He’d grown weaker, unable to carry Kote up the shore, grown tired, grown wan and weary and--

And Kote had lost him, finally, his chest no longer rising or falling, his pulse no longer moving in his wrist or throat.

They’d had two years, after the illness took hold. They’d had decades before that. But it had not been enough. Kote pressed his face down against Obi-Wan’s hair, muffling the sounds he was making, hearing songs rising from the sea all around as others realized what had happened, and wondered if any amount of time ever would have been.


End file.
